KC metro real estate maybe hotter than before economy tanked end of last decade. Supply of new/existing homes is below 4 months. I don't recall being that low before economy tanked. Is good news for sellers and should pickup pace for more development and refurbing older homes. Home values going up.

The July inventory represented a 3.8-month supply of new and existing homes, which breaks down into a 3.7-month supply of existing homes and a 5.1-month supply of new homes.

All those numbers represent a seller's market. According to KCRAR, when the housing supply exceeds six months, it's considered a buyer's market; less than six months is seen as favoring sellers.

My wife and I walk by this house every day, it's amazing the transformation that it's gone through.

Edit: Looks like they decided to keep the garage in back. I heard that they had planned to knock it down for some reason but it looks like they realized that having a garage is actually a nice amenity.

In many neighborhoods where car theft is among the top crime concerns, having a garage--where the car can be more secure--is a huge advantage.

It's not only car theft. My cousin has had windows broken out in her van on two occasions within a year by vandalism at night.

On the neighborhood Facebook crime pages, People having their car stolen from their driveway, or on the street, is among the top posts.

If you have full coverage on your car, it's less a problem. However, many people only have liability on their vehicle if it's several years old. If you are lower income, having your car stolen is a big deal--especially if your job can't be reached by public transit. Even if you aren't lower income, and can afford to buy a replacement vehicle, it's an expensive loss. In most situations, a car theft is the most expensive personal property loss they experience.

Thieves rarely make off with the same value of goods from a home break-in as they would with a car theft, where the vehicle is uninsured--unless they have expensive jewelry or art. Most home break-ins are losses of home electronics, cellphones, cash, or credit cards--quick grabs that the burglar can carry off quickly.

Many people don't realize that older model vehicles -- often uninsured -- are often the most stolen since demand for their parts is high. They are also less likely to have alarms and theft-tracking devices in them.

One of the reasons I bought my house over others I looked at is because it had a secure garage.

It's also nice not to have to scrap ice off windows in the winter, or worry about hail storms.

Exactly, also a lot of these older garages (like the one in the above listing) are built on the property line and would be impossible without a variance to build today. I can't remember what it is now, but I think you need 5 ft on each side of the property line for a detached garage now. At our house, that would basically mean we wouldn't have a back yard anymore. Our garage is essentially the property line marker/fence for a couple neighbors.

Auto insurance rates very a lot by zip code, and some neighborhoods are more high risk for vehicle theft than others. If you have full coverage, one should always check vehicle insurance rates in the new location before one buys a home, or at least be aware of the possible increase in premium.

When I lived downtown, one of the more popular neighborhoods for vehicle theft was Quality Hill. I remember looking up the city crime rates for that neighborhood and car theft dwarfed everything else. I don't know if it still does.

When I lived in New York City, a lot of people I knew who had cars in the City, and parents living in the surrounding states, would register and insure their cars at their parents' home (like Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, or upstate New York). Premiums were cheaper there than in Manhattan.

Many other people who owned second homes outside the City would register and insure their cars at that address.

zillow informs me that three janssen place homes are on the market. my favorite on the street sold earlier this year. still, three neighbors on the market at the same time — what a great time to set up a kcrag block, and at such reasonable prices!